1. Field
The present invention relates to equipment and methods for preparing samples for analysis. In particular, the invention relates to equipment and methods for automated processing of biological samples on substrates.
2. Background
Primary staining, special staining, immunochemical analyses, and in situ hybridization (ISH) analyses are utilized to analyze a variety of biological samples including microarray samples, tissue samples and tissue array samples. These techniques are inherently inconsistent when performed manually, especially by multiple different persons. Inconsistent staining makes it difficult for a pathologist or other medical or research personnel to interpret samples and to make comparisons between different samples. Thus, a number of devices and methods have been described that serve to automate the staining process and reduce staining inconsistency. Labor costs and the burgeoning demand for anatomical pathology services for both the clinical and research markets also are driving the push for increased automation of the sample treatment process.
In concert with automation, laboratory work-flow improvements (see, for example, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/639,586, which is incorporated by reference herein) can decrease sample turn-around time. However, constraints imposed by currently available sample processors, and in particular batch sample processors, reduce the extent to which such “lean” methods can increase workflow.